Improvement in railway-rails



PATENT Outrunr BENJAMIN MYERS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-RAILS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,708, dated October14, 1873 application filed August 1,' 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN MYERS, of Ghicago,'in the county of Cookand StateV of Illinois, have invented a new and valuable Improvement inRailroad-Rails and Bearings; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the construction andoperation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawingsmaking a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures ofreference markedthereon.

of a sectional view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

` This invention relates to that class of railroad-rails known asVreversible rails. My objects are, first, to construct a reversible railwhich shall present four rolljng-surfaces'on A heads, either one ofwhich can be adjusted into position for use where the other is worn out,which heads are flanged somewhat like the well-known T- shaped rail, sothat, while the periphery of one head will serve as an elevatedrolling-surface for a wide-gage track, the ilange or lateral side of anadjacent head will, at 'the same time, serve as a rolling-sur.- face fora narrow-gage track; second, to con struct such rail to receive on bothsides of its presented rolling-surface wooden bridge-bear-a ings, whichare adjustedV Vinto the concave spaces between its heads, and when soadjusted they not only afford side supports for Ybalancing the rail uponits cross-ties, but they also enable me to use at least half the numberof ties commonly employed with other rails; third, to construct such arail of hollow wrought metal, pressed into shape so as to leave acentral channel for the admission of an insulated telegraphic wire,which, owing to the peculiar shape of my rail, will not bebrorolling-surfaces in constructing a wide and narrow gage track.

This rail is preferably made by taking a tube of wrought metal, ofproper diameter for the height of rail desired, and of suitablethickness, and, by means of dies suitably adapted to the purpose,pressing together the walls of the tube, so as to leave the four headsA, the concave interspaces c, and a longitudinal center channel, g, inwhich latter an insulated y telegraphic cable, E, is applied. Figure lof the drawings is a lrepresentation If desired, each head A may have achannel, i, through it for receiving a smaller telegraphic wire, asshown in Fig. l.

The rail thus formed, with twelve rollingsurfaces, is supported upon itscrossties G by means of two wooden bridges, B B, provided with angularconvex surfaces d and flat bearing-faces c, as shown, which are shapedso as to iill up snugly two of the spaces c c, and afford a broad iiatbase, which maintains the rail in an upright position when secured downby spikes D, applied as shown in Fig. l.

Owing to the shape of the spaces between the rail-heads, and the shapeof the bridges, the latter cannot become displaced laterally, nor willthey allow the rail to rock laterally. These bridges, as their nameimplies, sustain 'the rail between the cross-ties, and so straighten andstiffen it that the ties may be arranged at considerable distancesapart, and fishplates, chairs, and other like straightening devicesdispensed with.

I do not claim, broadly, a four-headed railroad-rail; neither do Iclaim, broadly, a rail having a channel through it for receiving atelegraphic cable.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A reversible railroad-rail having twelve rolling-surfaces on heads A,flanged somewhat i like the T- shaped rail, the periphery ofone headserving as an elevated rolling-surface for a wide-gage track, and theflange or lateral side b of the adjacent rail serving as arollingsuriace for a narrow-gage track, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. rI he rail formed out of tubular metal, pressed into the shape shown,and having a channel, g, centrally through it for receiving a cable, E,substantially as described.

3. In combination With a rail having four In testim0n7 that I'claimtheabove I have heads, the Wooden bridges B B, having the hereuntosubscribed my name in the presence angular convex surfaces d and fiatbearingof tivo Witnesses.

faces e, adapted. to t a concave space, c, and B. MYERS. side surfaces bbetween the rail-heads and Witnesses:

cross-ties, substantially as and for the pur- GEORGE E. UPHAM,

pose set forth. Jos. B. Looms.

